Good news for book store lovers
Apr. 28th, 2026 09:08 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thewayneThere's an online book seller, Bookshop.org, started in January 2020. They give EIGHTY PERCENT OF THEIR PROFITS BACK TO INDEPENDENT BOOK STORES! 80%! That is pretty darn cool!
And it's having an effect.
When Amazon launched in 1995, there were 5,000 members in the American Booksellers Association. In 2019, 1,889.
The ABA has now grown to over 3,200 members, and Bookshop.org has donated over $47 MILLION to independent bookshops! When you make a purchase from them, you can designate the donation part of your purchase to go to sellers in your area or into a general pool.
What's even better is people are changing Amazon Affiliate links to links going to Bookshop.org!
In my area, the only place that you can buy new books is still Walmart, used books it's thrift shops and the Friends of the Library site at the mall. 90 minutes to Las Cruces or 2+ hours to El Paso to get to B&N. I doubt that's going to change here.
https://www.fastcompany.com/91529634/independent-bookstore-day-bookshop-org-founder-on-how-small-retailers-are-taking-on-amazon
https://news.slashdot.org/story/26/04/27/052242/america-now-has-70-more-bookstores-than-in-2020-says-bookshoporg-founder
And it's having an effect.
When Amazon launched in 1995, there were 5,000 members in the American Booksellers Association. In 2019, 1,889.
The ABA has now grown to over 3,200 members, and Bookshop.org has donated over $47 MILLION to independent bookshops! When you make a purchase from them, you can designate the donation part of your purchase to go to sellers in your area or into a general pool.
What's even better is people are changing Amazon Affiliate links to links going to Bookshop.org!
In my area, the only place that you can buy new books is still Walmart, used books it's thrift shops and the Friends of the Library site at the mall. 90 minutes to Las Cruces or 2+ hours to El Paso to get to B&N. I doubt that's going to change here.
https://www.fastcompany.com/91529634/independent-bookstore-day-bookshop-org-founder-on-how-small-retailers-are-taking-on-amazon
https://news.slashdot.org/story/26/04/27/052242/america-now-has-70-more-bookstores-than-in-2020-says-bookshoporg-founder
no subject
Date: 2026-04-28 04:05 pm (UTC)My sister used to manage a bookstore/cafe/meeting place, so I'd try to use bookshop to order books and give them credit for them. They ran into some issues and are closed for the forseeable future. I need to find another local'ish store for the site now.
I try to avoid the Major River Named company for books, either getting 'em through bookshop or going to Barnes and Noble to shop in person.
no subject
Date: 2026-04-28 04:10 pm (UTC)That's cool that your sister managed a book shop, sorry to hear they're having problems and I hope they are able to reopen. I avoid buying from The Big River as much as possible, Bezos has more than enough money and they're just too destructive and monopolistic.
no subject
Date: 2026-04-28 08:30 pm (UTC)When the minimum wage in San Francisco increased they were about to go under. A group of "Sponsors" put up money to cover the extra wage cost. This went on for some 7 years. The shop moved to a better neighborhood when the lease was up and is now self sufficient again. Especially if you want Science Fiction/Fantasy or Horror, they are a great place to order from (or through). They sell online through BIBLIO or for audio books, libro.fm Great folks with a very knowledgeable staff.
no subject
Date: 2026-04-28 08:42 pm (UTC)Very cool! I've heard of them, but it's been 25 years since I've been to San Fran. I've never had a chance to visit them.